Page 123 of Forgive You

And the grown-up thing to do is take the high road and leave this conversation for another time. But when I hold his stare, I realize my adulting skills walked out of the room when he entered. It’s been years in the making. I’m done hiding how I feel about Julie.

“Julie and I are together. She’s my girlfriend.”

Mama’s eyes widen, a little glare shot my way.

I brace myself for Jacob’s rage, a couple of curse words, and a lot of resentment coming my way, but he just holds my gaze, his sly grin expanding by the second.

“Yeah, I know,” he finally says.

My stomach turns. The air disappears from my lungs. My heart stops for at least a beat. “You know?”

How can he know?

Dread is piled on top of my chest, the weight of it getting heavier and heavier with each passing moment.

“She told me yesterday,” he explains, as if all is well in the world.

“Yesterday?” I blink, buying myself time to go over yesterday.

To see what I missed. He wasn’t at Hunter’s birthday. Hunter hates him more than I do, so there’s no way he’d even allow Jacob on his property. But then she was gone. She went to see Jacob?

“Yeah, she didn’t tell you?” His smug gaze raises my body heat. “She did a showing with me. You know, some extra support. Extra set of eyes and hands.”

“A showing?” The showing she said she did with her dad.

For her dad.

But really, she met with Jacob.

I can’t believe she would do that. I can’t believe she wouldn’t tell me. Unless…she has something to hide.

“You look really stupid with your mouth open like that.” Jacob twirls his hand in front of my face, and I close my mouth, my jaw ticking before he continues with triumph in his voice.

“Oh, I know. You had no idea she was with me? Your girlfriend is keeping some secrets from you?” he taunts. “Don’t worry, baby brother. We didn’t do anything. I could’ve. But I didn’t.”

“Jacob, behave!” my mother scolds, though it’s followed with a sigh that I’ve seen at least a couple hundred times when I still lived at home.

A sigh that speaks volumes, tired, and a silent prayer to God, hoping one day Jacob and I would wake up and get along.

My cracking chest moves up in slow and deep breaths, doing everything I can to remember I’m sitting in my mother’s kitchen, and this isn’t the place or the time to murder my brother. “Shut the fuck up.”

Jacob shrugs. “Just showing him the truth about his new girlfriend, Mom. After all, I know exactly what she’s like.”

Every fiber in my body wants to react in rage toward my brother, to give in to the urge to rip his head off and display it on the living room mantel. But I would be lying if his words didn't plant seeds in my brain.

Showing him the truth about his new girlfriend, Mom.

What is the truth? She’s not being honest about what’s going on with her folks. She flat out admitted there was something about Jacob she couldn’t tell me. Deep down, I know Jacob is right. He did see her yesterday.

That alone isn’t a problem for me. If she just would’ve told me.

But she didn’t.

She lied to me.

I jump out of my seat, the chair falling to the floor at the sudden movement, before I head to the door with fire on my heels.

“Jason,” my mother calls out. “Jason, where are you going?”

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